Now is the perfect time for small business owners and entrepreneur brands to create huge opportunities to improve their positioning by working on these 3 areas.
As entrepreneurs and small business owners, we always face the big question, “HOW TO MAKE MORE MONEY”.
The hard truth is that you can’t get the money if no one really knows who you are or cares enough to learn about what you do.
In the beginning of building a business, we’re so focused on the sales that we miss the first big step which is creating a clear brand that people want to buy from.
Focusing more on getting the bag instead of building a connection-based brand that people want to stand behind and support, is like building a car with no engine. It simply won’t go anywhere!
When small businesses and entrepreneur brands fail to transition from “sell, sell, sell” to attracting more active participants, they have difficulty converting their audience from cold to fan, then fan to client or customer.
It’s at the fan level where trust is built and deals are made. When this isn’t happening, it’s often due to one or more of the following reasons:
1. Lack of Emotional Connection
Successful brands build strong emotional bonds with their audience. Entrepreneurs often fail to engage in cold markets because they focus too much on product features or sales tactics and not enough on creating a relatable or inspiring story.
Without a compelling narrative or deeper connection, consumers have little reason to become invested beyond a transactional relationship.
FIX IT: Think beyond your sales goals and dig deeper into your story. What was the reason you wanted to help people? Just like a good movie, people want a good story and transparency. Be yourself and be honest with how you got started and why. This will shift your business from cold to connected!
2. Inconsistent or Undefined Brand Identity
A strong brand identity is crucial in converting a cold market into a loyal fanbase. Entrepreneurs may fail if they don’t communicate a clear and consistent brand voice, values, or mission.
If the brand lacks coherence across messaging, visuals, and customer experience, it becomes difficult for potential fans to trust or connect with it in a meaningful way.
FIX IT: Avoid being all over the place with your brand identity. From your brand personality, visual identity, and mission, everything should be cohesive. The best fix is to hire a brand expert to help you solidify every one of these areas so that everything you do moving forward is consistent and easily establishes clear brand recognition.
3. Failure to Provide Value Beyond the Product
Consumers today seek more than just products—they want value in terms of community, education, entertainment, or lifestyle alignment. Entrepreneurs often fail when they don’t create ongoing value for their audience, such as offering helpful content, building a supportive community, or engaging in meaningful conversations.
A brand that only focuses on selling without enriching the lives of its customers will struggle to turn cold prospects into passionate fans.
FIX IT: Think about your values as the visionary of your company. What do you believe in? What do you want your company to stand for? This can be from religion (if you have a faith-based business), community and world changes, or improving natural energy and fixing climate control. Have your company be an advocate of your favorite cause. This is a wonderful way to get your audience to partner with your business on a cause that matters and benefits everyone.
Don’t get me wrong, money is very much needed to run a thriving business. However, try not to let your driving force be only money.
Instead, think of who you’re serving and how you can help them overcome their problem. All this should be represented in your brand from the messaging and story to the visual identity (the pretty stuff).
When done right, this will boost entrepreneur brands and reel them into wanting more of you and your offerings.
Do you need assistance fixing any one of these areas? Let’s jump on a complimentary call to work out the kinks.
